The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-03-05
THE FARM GARDEN.
Why Every Agrculturist Should Raise His
Own Vegetables and Fruits.

Why Every AgrcuIturist Should Raise HIS
Own Vegetables and Fruits.
In few respects are farmers as 4 class
so untrue to their best interests and so
negligent of duty to their families as in
the failure to provide for their own
tables from their own grounds a regular
and full supply of the several vegetables
and fruits adapted to their soil and
climate. Could they realize how trivial
and unworthy their excuses for not
doing so are, there would be a speedy
and general reform. A neat, well-kept
garden on farm may not directly
swell the bank account, nor contribute
Immediately to the lifting of a mort
gage; but it does better than either of
these-it fosters, as nothing else at their
command can, higher and better life,
nobler aspirations, and, what is more
needed than all these among farmers
and their families-a higher appecia-
ton and love of their occupation and
contentment with it. 1t swells the
credit side of that great account beside
which bank accounts dwindle to in
significance.
The great obstacle to the more gen
eral cultivation of family gardens among
farmers is the almost universal idea that
it can be done only by hand-worI, and
a good deal of it. OF course, in the cul-
tivation of fine vegetables some hand
work is necessary, but in we'll
arranged garden it is comparatively
inconsiderable, and so light that it
ought to be called fingerwork, and the
obnoxious idea of hand-work entirely
banished from the mind. The necessity
for an outfit of special garden imple-
ments and other requisites is another
bugaboo. These are most of them use
full in their places and convenient, but
not indispensable. Most garden work
can be very we'll done with the farm
implements which good farmers already
use in the cultivation of crops. An in
telligent, expert farmer can weed more
onions and other garden vegetables by
the aid of common manure fork than
four common hands with the best special
implements.
The first step toward economical
gardening in connection with the all
absorbing duties of farming is to wipe
opt every thing which suggests that it
is little business or of little Importance.
A liberal plot of ground, unobstructed
by fences or trees but surrounded by a
grass border, broad enough at least for
driving and turning team, is neces-
sary. This should be laid out so as to
plant every thing, whatever its habit of
growth, in rows far enough apart, as
the case may be to admit of easy cult
walton, no matter if it does require
more land than the specialist employs
in raising the same crops. 1t is Il good
plan to distribute the rows for perma-
nent crops, such rs asparagus and the
several varieties of fruit-bushcs, so as
to admit of planting few rows of the
annual vegetables between them, to
secure their regular cultivation and
pruning in connection with the other
tillage of the intervening spaces
This arrangement also affords OPP
portunity for hauling manure to any
part of the garden in winter--the prop
er seassn for that work. For winter
manuring is not only more convenient
and economical of labor, but is every
way more ellicacious. OF all the
agencies for the distribution of the fer
tilizing elements of manure frost and
water are the most effective, improving
at once the texture and composition of
the soil and preparing it rs no other APP
plic;;io or treatment does to give the
crop an early and vigorous start. There
is less loss of manure and less danger of
injury from heavy manuring at this sea-
son than any other. But this system of
open-iield gardening is objected to BY
most farmers. An unprotected garden,
say they, is worse than none. If II
farmer has no unprotected field in
which he can locate II garden he can for
u moderate expenditure provide nova.
bic fences with which to protcc. it on
anunoccupied field S. Bliss, mn Y
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